Very cool no hassle way of peeling potatoes!

Found this video and though i would share! I actually tried this tonight while making potato salad and was super impressed at how quick and easy i got my potatoes peeled without even needing a peeler!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4W0qIPJmoo

"The only thing better than being a superhero is being a big brother!!!"

So my son has outgrown his baby room and I've kind of been dragging it out as much as possible, partly because i wasn't ready to accept it and partly because i was indecisive as to what i wanted to do for his big boy room! I got my inspiration from this quote i saw "The only thing better than being a superhero is being a big brother!!!" What a great idea i thought, he's such an energetic vibrant little boy i knew this would be perfect! In the next few weeks ill be posting pics and tutorials on his room remodel. I'm having my talented father build his bed and ill be doing some online shopping to create the decor for his room. I'm on the search for some "superhero" themed scrapbook paper and i really love the vintage comic styles as well, so as soon as i find the right one i will be making a custom lampshade for him. The color scheme is red, yellow and blue! 


The first thing i created for his new room is this really cool bat-mobile and it also doubles as a book storage/reading area!

The best part about this is it's made entirely out of cardboard boxes! That's right this entire project is not only super-cool looking and budget friendly but also eco friendly!! I had soo many unused boxes leftover from my last move and lately its been driving me nuts to have "stuff" just cluttering my house unnecessarily and even though they were neatly stored i just couldn't take it anymore, i don't want every inch of my house to be housing something!

Here's what i used:

10 cardboard boxes (the bigger the better)

Hot glue gun

Jig Saw

Plastic roll (the kind used to line cupboards)

Sheet of silver tagboard

Spray adhesive

Wooden Letter (optional)

Black acrylic paint

Small paint roller

metallic silver paint

Black duct tape

Open up 6 boxes and lay them out, then start by drawing out the side of your car. You'll need about 3 layers on each side of the car. Next you'll need about 2 ppl for this part and two glue guns. Get as much glue as you can especially near the edges and attach the boxes together. Attach each layer on top of each other with as much glue as possible and press until dry. Next use your jigsaw to cut out the shape of the car you have drawn! Do the same for the other side of the car!

You should have two sides that look like the pic on the right! If you're using old used boxes, try to use the nicest one on the outside, the paint will cover over the writing but you want to avoid spots where tape has been torn or there are uneven textures! For the next art you'll need to use two identical boxes that are a good width for the car! One of them can be used for the seat and you can use both of them as a gauge to make sure youre gluing both sides perfectly parallel. Next PLACE, DONT GLUE your boxes inside the car, measure the width and cut a long strip to run up the front of the car. As you hold it up on the car mark where the car bends and score (that means to cut but not all the way through) the box so it will lay flat up the front. I recommend using two layers for the top, glue them one by one. 

Next cut a shape to match the front of the car and make it two layers thick. Glue this under the hood to act as a brace and support the top. Next measure the inside width of the car and cut two pieces to be 4" wider than that. These pieces will go under (where the red arrow is pointing) forming a "T" with the other brace. Score each piece 2" from the edge on both sides. This will serve as the tab and give you a place to glue the brace better. The tabs where the yellow arrows are, are 2 layers thick One piece has tabs going towards the front and the other going towards the back. Make sure you also glue where the pieces meet (blue arrows). I also created some bracing with the seat by making an "X" since that's pretty strong. The back of the seat is much like the other brace.  Cut a piece to span from the floor up to the top of the car and give it tabs to glue it in place.  (The tabs won't run the full length of the piece because the seat will get in the way.  Just make them stretch from the top down to the seat.)  Cut another piece with tabs to go behind it.  Glue these pieces in. Use the box that matches the seat for the bookshelf and reinforce it the same way you did with the seat.  Glue it in place. 

The windshield has two layers and the inside layer has tabs to secure it.  The windshield is all one piece with the sides scored.  It's pretty much trial and error here.  Draw it out, cut it, try it on, and make necessary adjustments until it looks right.
 Next is the best part, the decorating and finishing touches! Cover the whole thing with black acrylic paint. I used a small roller to speed up the process. I used metallic silver paint for the windshield. Now to clean up all the lines i used a roll of black duct tape. Run the tape along all the seams.  Where there are curves you'll have to make slits along the way just like you would when sewing.  Later you can cover the slits with another layer of tape. The tape will give the car a cleaner look and strengthen all your seams.

For the tires I cut circles out of the textured, rubbery stuff they sell to line your cupboards.  It was a translucent gray and gave the car some texture. For the rims I bought a sheet of silver tag board 
and cut circles out.I cut out the black shapes to go over the top of the rims for more detail.When applying the tires and bumper, i used spray adhesive. I'm also making an emblem "M" for my son's name to go on the front of the car. The flames are stickers that i had lying around but don't remember where they re from, possibly a toy. I cant wait to finish the room and see it all pulled together! 

Mission Glitterize!!!!

So this is week 2 of my decluttering and organizing mission and as i was attacking my daughters closet i came across a pair of ballet flats that even though still fit were kind of outdated so i figured i may as well turn this into a craft project, i had nothing to loose since they were going to the donate pile anyways.

My inspiration were these Kate Spade glittery flats, but at $285 i wasn't prepared to spend that kind of money on shoes for a 5 yr old who will most likely outgrow them in 5 minutes! So i decided to attempt to replicate these.I used the following supplies:
a pair of ballet flats
modge podge
glitter (in the color of your choice) i used a mix of several colors
acrylic finishing spray
a sponge brush
a glue gun and a button
some newspaper or other material to cover the area

I blended the glitter in a plastic cup with a small amount of modge podge and began painting the glitter glue on the shoes. I took about 3 coats but i let it dry about 30 min between coats. This way you will be able to judge for yourself if you need to add any coats or go over any spots.

This is the result after the glitter glue has fully dried.
After they were completely dry i headed outside to apply the clear acrylic finishing spray, this usually dries quickly. Use some tissue or newspaper inside the shoes when spraying them so the spray doesn't get inside.

Now for the final touch i added the ribbon. This is very simple take two pieces of ribbon and just join them at the tip, you can play around to determine how big or small you want the bow. I used two, one slightly shorter than the first and glued them using my glue gun. Next you take a smaller piece of ribbon and wrap it around the center of both ribbons creating your simple loop bow. Then take your button and glue it to the bottom of the two bows (smaller one on top). You then apply a small amount of glue to the button and apply the bow (button side down) onto the shoes, make sure its properly centered. Hold it down a few seconds to make sure its dry!

And Voila! This is the final result!! My daughter will be so excited when she gets home to find these in her closet!!

Not bad for a difference of $270 right? Not only do they look pretty good but i just made use of a pair of shoes she no longer wore!! Can't wait to see her reaction!

More creative organizing ideas!

I saw this on Martha Stewart and thought this was such a great idea because im always looking for matching sheet sets and pillowcases in my linen closet this way it makes it so much easier and those pesky corner sheets that i can never quite fold perfectly are hidden!

This isn't my linen closet but i just found my organization project for today!!

Fun meal for picky eaters!

So if you have a child that's a picky eater you know how frustrating it can be trying to find ways to get them to eat without having to put on a show! If you're one of the lucky ones who happens to have kids who will eat anything you put in front of them then count your blessings. However any child has at some point been picky maybe cause their not feeling well or they're just not in the mood. I decided to make a fun lunch for my little man who happens to be home sick today and although hes usually a good eater (unlike my daughter) today he just doesn't really want to eat so i thought id make a game out of it.

Ice cream cone grilled cheese!
I used 2 pieces of wheat bread
 cheese
 butter
 1 banana
 1 strawberry
I cut the corners off of the bread to shape it like a cone. Save the scraps. I buttered the bread and placed the cheese in between to fit on the bread. Grill it and place it on the plate. Take the crust off of the scraps and pinch off pieces of it to cross on top of the bread. You can skip this, but i thought it looked more like a cone that way. Take 1 banana and slice it. Pile the slices on the top edge of the bread to look like ice cream. Take a strawberry and cut it to look like a cherry. Kids will love it and have fun eating it!

Next is the fruit snack i prepared, my son loves sesame street and this was way easier to do than it looks! I used:
1 clementine
1 banana
raisins
2 mini marshmallows
1 red fruit roll up
Peel the clementine and save the peel. Separate it in half and put them on each plate. Peel the banana and cut in half. Place those on the plates. 
For Ernie, cut a slit towards the bottom for his mouth. Roll up a fruit roll up tightly and then cut part of that for the nose. Cut a small piece for his tongue. Cut a mini marshmallow in half for his eyes. Cut a small raisin for the pupil on the eyes. Cut more of the raisins in half for his hair. Cut the reserved clementine peel for his ears. 
For Bert, cut the reserved clementine peel for his nose. Cut the banana peel for his ears. Cut a mini marshmallow for his eyes. Cut a small raisin for the pupil on the eyes. Cut a slit for his mouth. Cut a small piece of fruit roll up for his tongue. Use 2 or 3 raisins for his eye brows. Cut raisins in half for his hair. You should have enough to make two of these!

Quick easy and delish recipe!

So I was looking for an easy and quick recipe to make for shabbat that would be really nice to serve even when you have guests over! I found this recipe here; http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/972662/jewish/Deli-Roll.htm
and it was super easy to make and come out delicious! I made a few changes with the cold-cuts and used some dijon mustard i had but mixed it with some honey and it was a huge hit!

This is a picture how mine came out!

DIY Magnet board!

This is my project for today! I love the idea of reusing  cans to store art supplies like crayons, pencils, glue scissors ect... I looked into buying one of these magnetic boards but found they can be quite pricey so i decided to make one myself! I purchased all the supplies and this should cost about 10 to make!
In order to make this you will need;
Sheet metal - I used a 12x17" piece pre-cut from Rona (cost- around $8.00)
Tin cans (free)
Magnets (dollar store $2.00)
Contact Paper
Glue gun
                                                                                   
Cover the piece of sheet metal with your choice of contact paper. Clean cans thoroughly and use your hot glue gun to glue small magnets to the back of each can. You can also label them if you'd like. I use picture hanging strips to hang up my magnet board instead of drilling holes as i often move stuff around. This is so easy to make and so versatile, I'm looking to find some chalkboard contact paper to cover my magnet board instead of plain contact paper so the kids can use it as a chalkboard as well!